Georgia, one of the “next four teams” in our Friday Bracketology projection (meaning they didn’t need to worry about traveling to the Opening Round in Dayton), is in serious trouble of not making the NCAA Tournament now. The Bulldogs had a 14-point lead on Alabama with seven minutes to go in their SEC Tournament quarterfinal in Atlanta, but fell to the Crimson Tide in overtime, 65-59.
Bracketology 2011: Georgia Falls To Alabama, Now Must Wait For Selection Sunday
It didn't have to be that way for Georgia, however, as Dustin Ware hit a runner from well beyond the three-point arc with 0.8 seconds left. That shot would have given the Bulldogs a likely ticket-punching victory, except for one thing: Georgia coach Mark Fox had called timeout. His team couldn't score in the fraction of a second remaining. So, the two teams played an extra 5 minutes, which Alabama dominated.
With that result, Georgia is out and Alabama is in, right?
Not so fast. Georgia still has a profile that’s worthy of some consideration, while Alabama’s is still lacking. The difference is that the Crimson Tide still have a chance to play their way in, as they will play the Kentucky-Mississippi winner in tomorrow’s SEC semifinals.
For now, here’s a comparison of the two teams’ cases with data from BBState.com.
Georgia
Record: 21-11, 9-8 SEC
RPI: 39
SOS: 35
Record vs. RPI Top 50: 3-9
Record vs. RPI Top 100: 5-11
Bad (RPI 150+) Losses: None
Quality Wins: Kentucky, UAB, Tennessee, Colorado
Problematic Losses: Alabama (twice)
Alabama
Record: 21-10, 12-5 SEC
RPI: 82
SOS: 126
Record vs. RPI Top 50: 4-3
Record vs. RPI Top 100: 5-7
Bad (RPI 150+) Losses: at Providence, Iowa (neutral)
Quality Wins: Kentucky, at Tennessee, Georgia (twice)
Problematic Losses: St. Peter’s (neutral), Seton Hall (neutral)
If they don’t make it to Sunday’s final, the numbers show that the Crimson Tide should be worried about their position when the Selection Show rolls around.
As for Georgia, our Bulldog blog, Dawg Sports is fatalistic about the team’s chances.
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